Cowboys coach cites developmental QB as one reason team passed on Johnny Manziel

Johnny Manziel was passed over by the Cowboys because they're happy with their current quarterbacks. (Elsa/Getty Images)

The Dallas Cowboys had an opportunity to draft Texas A&M star Johnny Manziel in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft, but they passed on him and chose instead to defend their current signal-caller, Tony Romo, by drafting Notre Dame offensive lineman Zack Martin.

Dallas bypassed multiple more opportunities to add a young, developmental quarterback in the later rounds because they are extremely confident with who they have under contract.

The Cowboys will enter the summer with Tony Romo, Brandon Weeden and Kyle Orton as their quarterbacks, and had no interest in drafting a developmental quarterback, who conceivably could end up with another team after all of the grooming and developing by Dallas.

“The thing you’re concerned about is developing them for somebody else. You develop them for two, three, four years and he goes and plays for another football team,” Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said, via ESPN.com.

“We don’t think that’s a worthwhile thing. There’s been a theory around the league, teams like Green Bay for years always took a guy late, and if that player develops into something that was a good thing for their team or to trade to somebody else. There were some examples of them doing that. It’s a philosophy a lot of teams, they agree with that. But when you have other issues on your team I think it becomes a little bit of a luxury to do that. When you feel good about your starter and you feel good about your backups, we feel it’s better to take a position player, a guy we know can contribute on special teams, instead of trying to develop that guy.”

If the Cowboys continue to use this strategy, Dallas fans will have to wait until the team feels Tony Romo is done before his successor is drafted.